Watching Yato's Past
by dontcallmedaddycallmehokage
Summary: The characters of Noragami are brought to a room to learn about Yato's past.


In a sudden flash of white, seven people appeared in a small, all-white, confined room. Inside the room was a row of cushioned says matching the number of residents that had been forced into the room. Placed a few feet away from the seats was a wide-screen television, currently turned off.

"What the hell?" Asked the young shinki, Yukine, looking around.

"Where are we?" Kazuma pondered, adjusting his glasses. Beside him, his master, Bishamon took a step towards the confused figure of the lesser God, Yato.

"Yato, what the hell is going on? Is this the Sorcerer's doing?" She growled threateningly, glaring at him.

Yato glared back at her, "Why do you think everything is my fault, dumb skank?"

Daikoku cut in, sighing in exasperation, "Because it usually is."

"Yatty can't help but attract trouble, don't blame him!" Kofuku giggled, clinging onto the arm of her regalia.

Hiyori then noticed something sitting on the chair at the end. She picked it up and held it out, tail lashing behind her, "Umm you guys…? I found a note."

"What does it say?" Kazuma asked, stepping towards her.

Before she could read it, in a dramatic flourish, Yato swiped the small note out of her hands and began reading it. "_Good afternoon, viewers! You're probably all wondering why you're here. Well, to simplify it into an explanation everyone will like, you're going to learn about Yato's past with Father, also known as The Sorcerer. As a bonus, you will also learn about the Nora and another one of Yato's… past shinki..._" He trailed off, dumbfounded and wide-eyed.

"What!?" Yukine yelped out, snatching the note out of the out-of-order God's slackened grip, "Give me that! I don't believe you." After reading it over, Yukine's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

"Why _your_ past?" Bishamon asked, snatching it away from Yukine, eyes tracing over the page.

Suddenly, the TV blared to life, showing the paused image of Hiyori leaning over Yato.

"Guess that's our cue to sit down," Daikoku muttered, ushering Kofuku over to the seats.

The others followed him and soon everyone was settled down, with Yato stacking claim to the middle chair, with Hiyori to his right and Yukine on his left. Kazuma sat on the other side of Yukine with Bishamon taking the end seat. Kofuku was sitting on the other side of Hiyori, Daikoku taking the unfortunate other end-seat.

The television unpaused.

'_**If he knows about Yukine-kun's past life, why not tell him about it? And how will keeping it from Yukine-kun protect him?**_' **Hiyori's thoughts rang through the silent room as the on-screen version of her leaned into the sleeping Yato's side, '**_**Why…**_'

**It showed her falling, her hair and tail whipping up above her. As she floated down, she noticed a figure of a boy in a tattered kimono, kneeling in a small wooden house. '**_**Where…? This boy…**_'

**The boy's face was seen, Hiyori immediately noticing his bright blue eyes. '**_**These eyes… Yato…?**_'

The people in the audience gasped.

"So we've gone back quite some time…" Kazuma muttered to himself, resting his hand contemplatively against his chin.

**Child-Yato turned just as a deep voice called out, "Yaboku." Scattered in front of the child were dismembered earlobes.**

"What the..?" Yukine blinked with wide-eyes at the ears.

Kofuku covered her mouth with her hand, feeling sick. Daikoku wrapped an arm around her waist, face pensive.

**A tall figure with scruffy hair leaned towards the happy Yato, ruffling his hair, "Well well… You brought back a lot again."**

**The figure turned towards another present child, Nora. "Mizuchi, too."**

"The Nora is there, too?" asked Bishamon.

**The man scooped up both of the children, Yato holding onto him tightly while grinning, face splattered in dried blood. "You are such good children."**

**The scene changed to Yato and Nora running and laughing, switching to show dead, murdered bodies. The children's voices were light and airy as they spoke to each other, "What next?"**

"**There was a person in her belly?"**

"You killed a pregnant woman!?" Yukine turned to the lesser God, who was staring at the screen with an unreadable expression, eyes narrowed. Yato's eyes merely flitted towards his shinki before he looked away without further responding.

"**Why?"**

"**Smells bad…"**

"**Wah! I stepped in something like shit!"**

"**Eeek!"**

**A dog barked at them as they skipped past it. "Let's try going over there!" One of them suggested.**

Kazuma frowned and spoke up, bemused, "Such naive innocence… You are both reacting to murdering humans as if you were talking about the weather."

**They entered a rather rich-looking building, where Yato was cornering a plump old man, "P...Please have mercy… I beg you!" The man shouted, panicking.**

"**Is that a wish?" Yato asked innocently.**

The audience flinched at that.

**Nora's voice filtered through, echoing in his mind, "**_**Yaboku, remember you're not supposed to talk to other people.**_"

"**Oh, you're right, Hiiro."**

Yukine turned to Yato again, "Were you not allowed to talk to anybody?" He garnered a small nod. "Nobody at all? Why not?"

Yato jerked his chin towards the screen, mumbling, "I'm sure It'll show up later."

**The man began scrambling back, yowling and crying in fear.**

"_**Don't mess that kimono. I want it.**_" **Nora ordered, her voice echoing.**

"**Okay, got it," Said Yato.**

**The screen showed the house, with Yato approaching the man with his sword stretched out towards him, the dead body of a woman hanging limply on a wooden pathway above a pond of water. "So, should we drown them?" Yato pondered, with Nora's voice agreeing, "**_**Good idea.**_"

**Then, the tip of the sword faded into a translucent blue colour, flowing towards the man as if it were liquid. The water engulfed the terrified man until it was wrapped fully around his head, bubbles erupting from his mouth as he silently screamed.**

"_**Don't forget to take the ears,**_" **Nora reminded the ever-smiling boy.**

**Yato looked down at the man, nodding, "Yup."**

"How sick…" Bishamon hissed, "A couple of children killing a man with no qualms. While taking his ears, too; are those supposed to be trophies you take from your victims?"

"Father wanted to make sure we were actually going out and killing people. I guess we collected so many of them that it started becoming almost a sport," Yato answered quietly. He was uncharacteristically subdued.

Hiyori frowned.

**The scene switched to night-time, with the full moon shining brightly through a window that held no glass, the light accentuating a rope hanging from the ceiling, a collection of ears pierced onto it. It switched again, to Yato and Nora, huddling under a thick blanket, on top of straw bedding. More ears hung on ropes were above them.**

"**Where you wanna go tomorrow?" Yato asked childishly, resting his head on his hands.**

"Gross!" Kofuku exclaimed, hiding her face in Daikoku's chest, who had clear disgust on his face.

**It was day time again and Yato was huddling on a rock, with a large tree with spindling branches and thick leaves behind him.**

**He held a stick in his hand, dragging it along the ground, digging lazily.**

"**Um…" A voice piped up behind him and he turned towards it.**

**Standing behind him was a young woman in a white and red hakama, smiling widely. "Could you perhaps give me a name?"**

"Is that a shinki?" Kazuma asked, raising his eyebrows.

**A shooting star flitted across the night sky, a child's hands reaching towards it. The hands were shown to be Yato's, who was reaching up with his palms slapped together while being held tightly in the scruffy-haired man's arms. **

"**Oh!" The man exclaimed as Yato parted his hands to look down at them, "It seems you caught a shooting star travelling between the constellations of Kanoto and Tori."**

**The man held a younger Yato above him, "...Ah! I just thought of a good name for you! Yaboku. Your name is Yaboku."**

**Yato smiled at the man as he held him towards the sky, "With you, I will decide the fate of the human world."**

"That's Father… right?" Yukine looked towards his quiet master. Yato nodded.

"**Yaboku." A voice rang out. Yato was kneeling in the dirt, staring at a crippled dragonfly in front of him.**

"**Coming, Father!" The boy yelled out, standing up.**

**Father was walking towards him, hand wrapped around the shoulders of another child, leading them towards the boy. "Look who I have here."**

**It was Nora. She looked shyly at Yato. Father introduced her, "This belongs to your father. She is called Mizuchi."**

"**Mizuchi?" Yato echoed, staring curiously at her.**

"**I'm giving her to you," The man said, "She is a good child. I'm sure she will make a fine vessel. Yaboku, you are a God. Being a God, you should know without needing to be told how to summon a shinki."**

**Yato and the shinki stood in front of each other, Nora standing taller than him.**

"Ahh, this is where you make her your shinki, isn't it!?" Kofuku yelped, slapping Daikoku's chest in anticipation. "I didn't know she belonged to your father before she belonged to you!"

"Yeah, he's a human, right? How did he name her?" Hiyori asked thoughtfully.

**Yato reached his hand out, pointing towards the girl. "...My name is Yaboku. Here, relinquish thy name in death and become my servant bearing the name I bestow. Thy name is its reading, thy vessel it's sound."**

'_**Wh-why do I know this!?**_' **His thoughts pierced through his monologue.**

"I'm sure all Gods reacted the same way," Bishamon chuckled, though it held no mirth. "Being born with the instinct to name spirits came as quite a surprise."

Kofuku nodded in agreement.

**He continued on, "By my decree, you become my shinki. Thy name is Hiiro. Thy vessel, Hi. Come, Hiki!"**

**Nora's name lit up in front of her as Yato swept his hand up just as the girl turned into a sword, flying into Yato's hand. The boy let out an exclamation of surprise as he grasped onto the hilt with both hands.**

**A heartbeat was heard ringing through Yato's ears. He stared in shock, collapsing to the ground. Father came up behind him, kneeling as he ran his fingers along the sword's blade.**

"**...A blade, then! Just as I wished." Beneath his fingers, the metal collapsed into a watery substance, curling around the man's finger. "Yaboku, you understand your father's wish, correct…?"**

"I wonder what his wish is…?" Daikoku hummed in curiosity.

**Yato's bright eyes widened, an almost horror-struck expression finding itself onto his young face "...Yes."**

**The scene switched to a town, with humans milling about, minding their own business. "With so many here, there's a lot I can do," Yato's disembodied voice said.**

**He was shown dragging the tip of his sword along the ground, lifting it up as he began sprinting towards a fancy house.**

**Father was shown, standing in the grass fields around the house, staring after Yato. "You are the tiny God born of my single wish, but it is the one powerful wish I have had since the moment I was first able to wish."**

"It must be a really powerful wish, then…" Yukine glowered angrily towards the man on the screen.

"_**My one wish… Cull the herd.**_" **His voice was heard as the child version of Yato slashed the back of a man, grinning.**

Yato scoffed.

"What a sick wish. A mere man commanding a newborn God to kill his fellow humans for his own selfish reasons…" Bishamon sneered, glaring at the screen with contempt.

"Don't remind me," Yato huffed, sinking into his seat.

**A crow stood on the roof of the house, cawing.**

**Yato stood in front of a downed man, blood splattering the wall behind the man and the sleeves of Yato's kimono. The child was panting and holding his hand against his mouth, "Revert, Hiiro."**

**The shinki shifted back into her humanoid form and Yato leapt at her, wrapping his hands around her neck, "Hiiro, you're amazing! You're my favourite!"**

Yukine pouted at that.

Hiyori chuckled and patted his shoulder, leaning towards him and whispering, "That was back then. You know you're his favourite now."

The boy flushed and stuttered in indignation.

**The two children were running towards Father, who was kneelings down with open arms. "Father, were you watching!?" Yato yelled.**

**Father grinned as he scooped them into his arms, picking them up. "Indeed! This was your first time out together, but you cut them down so well!"**

**They began walking away from the mess of dead bodies behind them. "You are such good children."**

"Yatty…" Kofuku began, turning to the dark-haired God. Her face had an expression of concern and deep sadness, "Were you really okay with killing?"

Yato shrugged nonchalantly, "I was brought up to think that it was right. Because I was born from that wish, it was almost instinct to kill humans.

**Child-Yato was running, his sword dragging against the ground. A man was lying limp on the ground, his ear torn off and bleeding. A crow pecked at the hair of a woman, whose head was seen through a doorway. Father's low voice was heard, "From now on, I want you to go out together, whenever you want… And play to your hearts' content."**

"How vile…" Kazuma said, shaking his head.

**Again, the scene changed to the bird's-eye view of a town, rain pouring heavily over it.**

"**Have you heard?" A man said, "They say there's a demon child wandering near Kujô."**

"**A demon child?" His companion asked.**

"Guess you were pretty well-known, Yato," Commented Daikoku.

"Not in a good way, though…" Yukine added on, shifting in his seat.

"**He looks like a little boy, but he leaves bodies behind him, like a man-eating beast," The first man leaned closer to the other, "And he takes their ears as trophies."**

"**A vengeful child spirit, eh?"**

**Then, in front of them, lightning struck, lighting up their faces in a blinding white light.**

**The man ducked his head, throwing his hands against his ears in fear, "Stay away! Mulberries, mulberries!" He chanted.**

"What does that mean?" Yukine frowned, turning to Hiyori.

Hiyori smiled at the boy and explained, "It's a chant to ward off lightning."

"Huh… That's a really weird chant…"

"**It's either lord Sugawara's curse or lord Masakado. The world is a mess, and demons are showing up in the capital…" The man said, turning back to look at the two children, Yato and Nora, behind him. "Nowadays, bandits are attacking in broad daylight. I'm sure these children are anxious to get home, too…"**

**Yato and Nora turned to each other, grinning as they interlocked their hands. Sly laughing was heard along with the sound of blood splattering.**

The audience grimaced, knowing just what had happened.

**The scene shifted to the scene before, with Yato kneeling on a rock, the woman in the hakama approaching him as Yato turned towards her voice. "Excuse me… I don't suppose I could ask you to give me a name?" She asked, clasping her blighted hands together.**

**She smiled down at him, stepping closer. "You are a god, aren't you? I don't have a name right now."**

**Yato stared at her before noticing a butterfly flitting past. It flew onto the unnamed shinki's shoulder as she continued speaking, "If you'll have me, I'd like to be…"**

**The child Yato suddenly leapt up and grabbed the hem of the opening of her hakama and pulled it open, causing the butterfly to flitter away. "...Your shinki…" The woman uttered out.**

**Yato, clinging onto her bare skin, reached towards the fleeing butterfly, huffing out a small "aww..." The boy then hummed, his cheek pressed against the woman's breasts. He looked up, groping them as the shinki's face flushed.**

"You seriously—" Kazuma stuttered out, his own flash flushing at the perverse action.

Bishamon's teeth gritted together and she resisted the urge to beat the dark-haired god into the ground. "You were an imbecile even back then!" She growled towards Yato, who nervously looked away from everyone and the screen, focusing on a speck of dust on the ground.

**The woman was shown to be smacking the boy, sending him flying off of her.**

Bishamon nodded in approval while Kofuku snickered towards the on-screen lesser god.

**The straw roof of a shambled house was shown, along with Yato's curious voice, "...Hey Father, are there shinki that don't have names?" He asked, resting his reddened cheek against his palm.**

**Father, who was holding a dead bird against the ground, a knife raised up, answered him, "Hm? Those would be ghosts."**

**Nora and Yato were kneeling beside him, the latter speaking in puzzlement, "Ghosts?"**

**The knife cut into the bird's neck as Father spoke again, "The spirits of the dead."**

"**What happens to them if they don't have a name?" Yato asked.**

**Father hung the decapitated bird onto a bamboo pole by its feet while explaining, "Well, if they've been released, they can't use the boundary line like shinki can. They're basically ayakashi fodder."**

"Are they really unable to do borderlines?" Yukine said out loud, tilting his head.

"Yes, which can prove to be quite fatal," Kazuma said, frowning at the man's blunt wording.

Yukine looked down towards his hand, wiggling his finger while deep in thought. '_I can't imagine being defenceless like that… not being able to use my borderline when in danger…_'

**Yato remembered seeing the shinki woman's blighted hands, her smiling face also infected. He watched as a feather drifted from the bird's carcass, falling to the ground along with droplets of blood that dripped onto the ground.**

**Father turned to the boy, resting a hand on his hip, "Why?"**

**Yato grabbed the knife from him, waving it about as he ran off, "No reason!"**

**The scruffy-haired man waved him leave, frowning.**

"You must be going back to that woman…" Yukine mumbled, unsure what to feel about her.

**Said woman was seated on the same rock that Yato was previously on. She sighed but turned around to see Yato hiding behind a boulder. "You… You're that boy."**

**In response, Yato said nothing but grabbed her arm, dragging her away.**

"**Wha— What is it!?" She yelped at the abruptness.**

**Yato then pushed her into a pond of water.**

Everyone in the audience jumped in surprise at the action.

"Why did you do that, Yatty!?" Kofuku huffed, puffing her cheeks up. Yato grinned at her, gesturing towards the screen.

**The now-drenched shinki had tears in her eyes, whipping around to yell at the boy, "What are you doing!?" Only to stop when the blight began steaming, fading from her body in smoky whisps. "Oh… The pain, and those marks… They're gone! We can heal them with this water!?" She exclaimed, running her hands through the healing liquid.**

A collective "Oooh" of understanding rang through the viewing crowd.

**Yato kneeled on the bank of the water, watching her.**

**She climbed out of the water, regarding him with a curious yet somewhat cautious look. "Are… are you… helping me?"**

**When she garnered no response, she bent down to his level, "Can't you speak?"**

"**Boobs," The boy said bluntly.**

The women of the audience all cringed in distaste.

**The shinki was shown to be cringing, her face tense. "A-Anyway, you have my gratitude. Will you at least tell me your name?"**

"_**You must not speak to other people,**_" **Father's voice echoed in his mind.**

**The child's lips were downturned as he quietly gulped. He began writing "****夜ト"****, the kanji for Yaboku, in the dirt with a stick.**

**Sakura leaned over to read the written kanji. "...Yato? Is that how you say that?"**

"Wait. Is this how you got the name Yato?" Hiyori asked, eyebrows knitting downwards.

"Yup!" The peppy God gave the girl a thumbs up.

"How curious. You took on the name that a shinki merely misunderstood. Why is that?" Bishamon looked towards Yato in the corner of her eye, peering through her hair at him.

"Just keep watching, skank," He said dismissively as he dodged the shoe she threw at him.

**Yato had a scandalized look on his face as he shook his head, only for the shinki to talk over him. "Well, let me introduce myself… I'm…"**

**She trailed off as she remembered something, "Oh… I don't have a name right now. I once served Michizane-sama, but…"**

**The elderly God was shown, angrily yelling, his shinki panicking around him. "Damn you, Fujiwara!" He screamed, lightning cracking.**

"**...He took my name from me in a fit of rage." The unnamed shinki finished, downtrodden. "And I had only just begun my service, so I still don't know very much about this shore…"**

'_**That geezer's getting a lot of attention these days.**_' **Yato thought idly to himself.**

"He seems to be really angry back then…" Yukine deadpanned, subconsciously shrinking away at the thought of the usually calm and wise God erupting in such anger.

"How scary…" Hiyori sweatdropped.

**The shinki then suddenly dropped to the ground, bowing. Tears dripped from her eyes. "I beg of you! Please give me a name, Yato-sama!"**

**Yato was shown to be staring at her with glittering eyes and an astounded expression, the title 'Yato-sama' ringing in his mind as he thought to himself, '**_**Not even Hiiro calls me that!**_'

**Outloud, he said, "Y-Your wish has been heard!"**

**A name lit up in front of the grateful-looking shinki as Yato began the initiation, "Thy name is its reading, thy vessel its sound. By my decree, you become my shinki. Thy name is Sakura. Thy vessel, Ou. Come, Ouki!"**

"Sakura, huh?" Kazuma hummed to himself.

"Yatty! You chose such a pretty name for her!" Kofuku exclaimed, stretching out on her seat and throwing her hands up in the air.

Yato just focused on the screen, his eyes narrowing slightly when his younger version spoke the name.

**Suddenly, he was thrown into a memory. A man's hand was held out, the tiny palm of a child resting against it. A girl in a bobbed haircut was standing in a field, wearing a fancy blossom-patterned kimono. An inkstone was shown, a brush laid on top of it. Then two nuts, along with a bowl with a liquid in it and a small basket of rice.**

**A woman was shown running her hand along the strands of a girl's long hair.**

**It changed to show rain pattering down and a carriage being overtaken by bandits, who were reaching eagerly towards the girl, pulling at her kimono.**

**The memory ended, Yato's bright blue eyes widening in shock.**

"What was that?" Yukine turned to his God, eyebrows raised. When he got to response, he turned to Bishamon and Kofuku.

The other gods in the room looked away from the blond boy, not answering in fear of revealing a God's greatest secret.

"_**Look at me, Yato-sama!**_" **The newly named Sakura's voice was echoing in his mind, "**_**I'm a Koshigatana short sword! Will this be useful to you?**_"

**Suddenly, the boy threw his arm back and launched the short sword into the pond, where she yelped in shock and sunk to the bottom.**

"**Wh-What are you— Yato-sama!?" She yelled as the boy suddenly darted off.**

"Stupid lesser God! Did you really leave her there in the water!?" Bishamon snarled at Yato, who scratched the back of his head while pulling a small grin.

"**What was that!? It wasn't like that with Hiiro…" Yato thought as he ran off, eyes wide in alarm, "I'm scared!"**

"You didn't see that when you named Nora?" Asked Hiyori.

"Nah. It was pretty frightening, experiencing that for the first time.

"I bet…" Kofuku piped in, "I sure was!"

**The scene changed to the inside of Father's house. The man was sitting on the ground with the two children on his lap. "What's wrong, Yaboku. You're not going out to play? It's like you have no energy these days… Don't tell me you've been stung?"**

**Father pulled the neckline of Yato's kimono off, revealing his bare, blightless back. "I guess not. But still, Yaboku. If a master isn't feeling well for whatever reason, it's his shinki's fault."**

The audience grew noisy with indignation and rebuttals. Yato clapped his hands together to silence them, pointing towards the screen.

Bishamon scoffed.

"**Mizuchi," Father regarded the girl, who looked up at him, "You've been a bad girl."**

"**What…?" She blinked in confusion, eyes widening.**

"Shit…" Hissed Daikoku.

**The younger Yato cut in, "Father, Hiiro didn't do anything. Why is she a bad girl?"**

"**An affliction in the shinki's heart pains the master as well. That's how it works with you."**

**A wolf ayakashi suddenly stepped out from behind Father, growling. It wore a mask with a worn-down eye inked onto it, over top of the slight face-like indents in the mask.**

"**F-Father! I'm fine! Let's go play, Hiiro!" Yato exclaimed, grabbing the in-shocked shinki by the shoulder, pulling her out of the house.**

**Father watched them leave, patting the whimpering ayakashi.**

**Yato's voice was heard, "Return, Sakura."**

"So you finally went back to her. How long did it take?" Bishamon's voice was cold and hard, her eyes even more so as she glowered at the other God.

"**You left me there for three whole days…" Sakura moaned, kneeling on the ground with her head in her hands.**

"Three!?" Bishamon snarled, hands gripping the arms of the seat as she fought not to pounce at Yato and strangle him.

"You left her in the water for three days?" Daikoku grimaced in disapproval and sympathy for the shinki.

"**I'm sorry… So stop crying, okay? You're hurting me, too…" Yato mumbled.**

"**Maybe… You don't want me…?" Sakura looked up at him, wiping at her face.**

**Yato yelled out in objection, "I'm not gonna get rid of you! You belong to me, I need you!"**

**Sakura sniffled lightly, uplifted despite the increase in tears pouring down her face, "Thank you so much! I will do everything in my power to protect you, Yato-sama!"**

**Looking at her wet, messy expression, Yato clenched at the cloth covering his chest, thinking about Sakura's words. '**_**Thank you.**_' **The boy's face flushed at the warmth, '**_**What's happening? I feel warm…**_'

**Suddenly, he threw himself at her, plunging his face into her chest, yelling out, "Boobs!"**

Bishamon launched her other shoe at Yato, but this time it hit him square on the head.

Yukine snickered at his misfortune.

**Sakura slapped him, knocking him away.**

**A town was shown, citizens meandering around.**

"**Yato-sama, the market is open!" Sakura grinned, holding her arms out and gesturing towards the entirety of the area.**

**Meekly, the boy objected to the name, "I told you, I'm not Yato, I'm…"**

**He was interrupted by an eager Sakura, "Let's take a quick look!"**

**The young God groaned, "Ugh!"**

**Yato watched as two women peered at a display, two men chatting behind them. He turned to see Sakura looking down at a display of food. "Sakura… Is there something fun at the market?"**

"**What? Yes! Everywhere you look, people are happy and full of life," Sakura smiled warmly at him, "And look at this! It looks delicious!"**

"**Sakura!" Yato shouted, causing her to turn to him. He was holding stolen food in his hand while chewing some, "Here, you can have some, too."**

"Seriously? You stole!?" Yukine sent a flat look towards Yato, "Hypocrite! You told me stealing is bad!"

"It is! I was a misinformed kid!" Yato quickly defended himself.

"So was he," Cut in Hiyori, defending the shinki.

Yato groaned and fell back into his seat, crossing his arms and pouting.

**But then, Sakura slapped it out of his hands. "Stealing is wrong!" She scolded.**

"**Hm?" Yato blinked up at her, still holding a piece of food in his mouth.**

"**Only thieves take things that aren't theirs! Are you a thief, Yato-sama!? If you never learn how the world works, you'll wake up one day and find yourself all alone!"**

**Yato remembered the time he, Father and Nora travelled to the market, Father pointing him towards a stall. The young God swiped a vegetable from a display.**

"_**A god, you see… can do whatever he wants,**_" **Father said cryptically, grinning.**

"Technically we can… But we also have limits. Limits set by the heavens, and limits set by morality," Hummed Kazuma, sliding his glasses further up his nose.

"Mmhm!" Kofuku agreed, kicking her legs playfully while pressing herself against Daikoku, "Though I guess since Yatty's dad is such a terrible guardian, he never learned good morals!"

**Yato looked down at the ground, confused. He looked back up and yelled towards the retreating figure of his shinki, "Oh! Sakura, wait!"**

'_**I thought it would make her happy...**_' **He thought, glancing at the tattoo on the back of her neck. '**_**How can I make you happy? What can I give you…?**_" **He noticed two young girls, one holding a few wild flowers to her face.**

"**Sakura." At her master's hesitant voice, Sakura turned her head to see him shyly holding up a few dandelions.**

**She smiled and took the flowers from him, "...Thank you very much…"**

**Yato's eyes filled with wonder, eyes brightening. '**_**She smiled!**_"

Kofuku cooed at his expression and Hiyori giggled lightly. Even Daikoku cracked a warm smile towards the ecstatic child.

**Yato was shown running through the forest. '**_**Sakura loves flowers and tiny frogs,**_' **He held his index finger out, a little frog sitting on the base of it. 'She also loves sunsets but I can't give her one of those…' The shinki was shown laughing, standing in front of a beautiful sunset. '**_**When I told her that, she smiled again.**_'

Hiyori smiled at the child. "Aww, that's so adorable."

"Such childish innocence," Kazuma commented.

**Yato was grinning happily, holding his smaller hand in Sakura's. '**_**I'm supposed to go home at night, but I want to be with Sakura a little while longer. A little while longer…**_'

**The two of them were standing at a river bank, fireflies flitting around them.**

"**Fireflies!" Sakura clapped her hands together, staring up in amazement, "Arnt they beautiful?"**

**Yato glanced up, reaching a hand towards a firefly. He clasped his fingers around it, capturing it in his hand.**

"**Yato-sama. I'm dead, my life is over," Sakura began, her face wistful. "But when I think that I can still see the cherry blossoms and the fireflies… It's strange, but… it makes me happy. I'm so glad you have me a name, Yato-sama."**

**Yato stared down at the bright firefly in his open palms, a soft smile on his face. He lifted his arms up and released the firefly, letting it flit away. Yato patted his hands together and turned to Sakura. "Come, Ôki."**

**Her name lit up in front of her as she transformed, "Yes?"**

"**I just remembered, I haven't taken you with me yet," He said as he unsheathed the short sword, "to go play."**

**Sakura was shown in the reflection of the blade, flinching in surprise.**

"Wait— Don't tell me… you're going to use her to kill?" Yukine whipped around, shocked.

Kofuku gripped tightly onto her shinki's arm. "No, Yatty! Don't!"

Bishamon winced in sympathy, "I can't imagine how she is going to react…"

Yato glanced down at his lap.

**A father was kneeling on the bank with his daughter, pointing at a firefly. In a flash, Yato leapt at the man and slashed his neck, blood splattering. Sakura was shown in the bloodied blade with wide, distraught eyes and a gaping mouth.**

**The man fell into the water, his daughter jumping to her feet. "F...Father!?" She stuttered out in palpable fear.**

**Yato held the blade up, the tip of his tongue sticking out of his mouth in crazed concentration.**

**Suddenly, the boy froze, his heart thumping loudly. His arm drooped, letting go of the knife. It stabbed into the ground just as the girl sprinted away, screaming, "D–D–Demon! It's a demon!"**

**Beside the fallen short sword, Yato collapsed onto the ground, gripping his chest in pain.**

"Being used for the first time like that… Being used to murder someone…" Shaking her head, Hiyori tried to dispel such a disturbing thought.

"I'd be pretty traumatized if you used me like that, Yato…" Yukine offhandedly commented, causing the God in question to cringe and cast his gaze away from the teen.

**The boy gritted his teeth and panted, moaning. His hand clenched tightly against the fabric covering his chest while the other rested in a tight fist underneath his writhing body.**

'_**It hurts. It hurts! What's happening? I can't take it!**_'

"**Re...return… Sakura!" Yato gritted out, glancing at the blade, which lit up and transformed back into the woman's humanoid form. "Sakura?"**

**Sakura was distraught, tears in her eyes with an expression of great distress. She looked over to the dead body of the man who had fallen into the water, his legs sticking out. "Y-Yato-sama… why would you… Why did you kill him?!"**

**Yato stated at her through the pain, face slick with sweat.**

"**I… can't…" She choked out, standing up and walking away.**

"**Wait!" Getting to his hands and knees, Yato called out to the shinki. '**_**She's crying again… Why?**_' **He focused on the back of her neck— the tattooed kanji of her name. Tears were seen trickling off of her cheeks. '**_**I can't breathe… I feel like I'm being ripped apart.**_'

**In the loom of the forest, growling was heard. "Smells good…" A distorted voice growled out.**

"Shit…" Hissed Bishamon.

"That's an ayakashi!" Daikoku exclaimed. Kofuku pressed herself further against him,

Hiyori jumped at the voice, "Oh no! Get out of there, Yato!"

"**Ayakashi?" Yato looked up, eyes wide. The grass rustled and a creature giggled. "I have to get out… of…" The boy's eyes slid shut as he fell limp.**

**Father, kneeling in front of the unconscious child, leaned over him. A wolf yo-Kai pawed at Yato's back.**

The audience all sighed in relief.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but thank God your Father was there!" Hiyori leaned back in her seat and rested her hand against her chest.

"**...Sakura? Who's that?" Hiiro's voice pondered.**

**Yato was shown lying on a straw bed, a leaf-pattern blanket pulled over him. "H-Hiiro…" He stuttered out, looking up at the shinki.**

"**Father said he found you unconscious by the pond yesterday, Yaboku. He brought you home," Hiiro said as she dipped a cloth in a basin of water.**

"**Father…" Yato breathed out.**

**Hiiro laid the soaked cloth on the young God's forehead. "You were groaning in your sleep. What happened?" She asked.**

**Yato, panting and sweating, thought to himself, '**_**My chest hurts… Sakura… I bet she's still crying.**_'

**He remembered what Father said, '**_**If a master isn't feeling well, it's his shinki's fault.**_'

'_**Sakura didn't do anything. I'm the one who…**_' **He trailed off. '**_**This never happened when I was playing with Hiiro. Father was always so happy when I brought him ears. But Sakura doesn't like it.**_' **Sakura's terrified face appeared in his mind. "...It's my fault," Yato choked out.**

"At least you know that making her kill someone is a bad thing to do," Commented Daikoku, frowning.

"**...Are you calm at last? It is Sakura now, yes?" Asked the gentle voice of Tsuyu, the plum tree spirit who lived with Tenjin. She stared down at a downcast Sakura with gentle eyes.**

"**Yes…" Sakura nodded, not meeting the spirit's eyes, "Tsuyu-sama… What should I do? When Michizane-sama released me, I didn't know what to do with myself. And then I finally found someone… But he just takes things, and… He's so young— He doesn't mean any harm, but…" She trailed off, staring down at the ground with a traumatized expression, sweat trickling down her face as she recalled the previous events, "But he… he used me to…!"**

**Tsuyu glanced at Sakura through the corner of her vision. "...If you mean to say he takes human lives… My lord has done the same."**

"Woah… Really?" Yukine gasped.

"A lot of Gods have harsh or violent pasts. It's their shinki that teach them right or wrong," Kazume informed the wide-eyed fellow shinki, who looked contemplative for a moment, then nodded resolutely.

"**My lord is the vengeful spirit of a man who was virtually murdered… The people worshipped him as a God out of fear, to calm his wrath. But it is not long past that he became a god, and his attachment to the world of men remains strong. He is a slave to his divine nature; He cannot fight against it," Tsuyu said, the image of Tenjin standing, head down, in a messy, ravaged room, overcoming the screen. He was gripping tightly onto his pants. "My lord hates humanity… I, too, am saddened that he takes the lives of mortals. But my only recourse is to accept it as the nature of a raging spirit. At least… For now."**

"It's sad that he was murdered… I can't imagine becoming a god because you were so angry at being murdered that people began worshipping you out of fear…" Hiyori mumbled, looking down at her lap.

"Being angry every day seems like a tiring way to live!" Throwing her hands around Daikoku, Kofuku wailed out, "Daikoku! If my possible future reincarnations are all angry and brooding because I died, then find yourself a new master! I don't wanna be an angry God!"

"You're not gonna reincarnate, and even if you do, you're not gonna be angry and brooding," Daikoku huffed out, exasperated.

**Sakura looked attentively up at Tsuyu as she continued talking. "Ever since he was young, my lord as been a kind soul, one who loves flowers. He always strives to meet people's expectations. He is very sincere and very proud. And I know that."**

"**You really believe in your master, Tsuyu-sama," Sakura smiled pensively up at her.**

"**What of you, Sakura?" Tsuyu asked as the shinki glanced away, silent. "It appears that your master, too, is held captive by his innate divine nature. But how he makes use of that nature… Depends upon you, Sakura."**

**Sakura looked back up, surprised, "M-Me?"**

"**Teach him of good and evil. Of the workings of men… Of the beauty of the world. Though a blade, Ôki may yet save lives. Use your power to protect your master. You are the one who prayed he give you a name, are you not?" Tsuyu continued.**

**Sakura looked down at the ground again, silent.**

"**The actions of your God may have brought pain to your heart… But would you leave your master unarmed?"**

**At this, Sakura perked up, frantic and worried, "Y-You're right! Yato-sama!"**

**Tsuyu blinked as she noticed something in the distance. Turning to Sakura, she said, "...Would you not do well to place a little more faith in your master?"**

**Sakura turned to see Yato lingering near the entrance of Tenjin's shrine, unsure, his hands behind his back.**

"**It appears his heart is capable of caring for those beneath him."**

"It appears…" Yato scoffed, offended.

Yukine snickered.

**Sakura approached the young God, who was holding a small array of beautiful flowers.**

"**...S-Sakura. Um…"**

"Aww, you look so cute, Yato!" Hiyori cooed as he pinched the God in question's cheeks, grinning. Yato grumbled under his breath in embarrassment and slapped her hand away, pouting.

**The shinki bent down and wrapped her arms around the boy, pressing him to her, an upset expression on her face. "Yato-sama, I'm sorry. I… I finally know what I'm supposed to do!" She said, gritting her teeth, determined.**

"**M-Me, too," Yato sighed, leaning into the embrace. "I'm sorry, too."**

**Sakura and Yato were seen walking through a forest, Sakura pointing towards civilians as a vendor sold fabric to another, a man toiled in a field, cutting vegetation with a sickle and a woman rested a sleeping babe against her chest, smiling contentedly.**

"Ahh babies are so cute, don't you think, Daikoku?" Kofuku murmured, pressed her hands merrily to both of her cheeks.

Daikoku nodded awkwardly.

**A hand slapped Yato's shoulder. The boy was standing beside three other kids, who were explaining something to him. A kid with shoulder-length slicked back hair tied a fabric around Yato's eyes and Sakura watched as the young God stumbled around in confusion as the children scrambled away from him while laughing and giggling.**

**A small, wooden shrine with food offerings was shown, Yato's curious voice overlapping, "What's that, Sakura?"**

"**It's a shrine," Sakura explained, turning to the tiny structure, "I wonder what kind of God is worshipped there…"**

"**A shrine…" Yato mumbled, looking at it with interest, "I like it… I want one, too."**

"**I'm sure you'll get one," Sakura assured, smiling.**

"**Really?"**

"**That's how people pray for things— Even for little things or wishes that may never come true. And the Gods are the ones who hear those prayers," Sakura said as she placed her hands on Yato's shoulder and leaned down, "You exist because of people's prayers, Yato-sama. So you must treat every wish with respect, no matter what it may be."**

"And thus started your obsession with fulfilling all wishes," While doing jazz-hands, Yukine sarcastically remarked.

"It technically started when I was born, Yukine," Yato said, teasingly, surprisingly light-hearted.

In return, his regalia stuck his tongue out of his mouth towards the God.

**The stomping of a horse's hooves alerted the God and shinki duo. A horse was seen galloping along the road, dragging its rider, whose foot had been tangled in a rope attached to the cargo on behind it. All the while, the man screamed loudly for help.**

"**Yato-sama!"**

**At Sakura's voice, Yato jumped and turned to her, "What?"**

**While the man screamed in the distance, Sakura continued yelling at the boy in panic, "What do you think?! Call your vessel! Now!"**

"**But… But you don't like it when I use Ôki."**

"**If you don't listen to me, I will drag you along the ground like that man!"**

"**Ô-Ôki!"**

**With a lash of light after Yato's command, the woman transformed into the shortsword, landing in Yato's hands. The boy jumped onto the branch of a nearby tree, watching the horse drag the screaming man. "...We're gonna slay the horse, right?!" He asked, unsure.**

"_**No! Why do you keep thinking like that? Cut the rope around his foot!**_" **Sakura's scolding voice echoed from the blade.**

"Oh, this must be your first time using a regalia without killing anything!" Clapping her hands together in excitement, Hiyori exclaimed, smiling.

"**Th-This is kinda scary, Sakura!" Yato whispered harshly. Leaping off of the branch, Yato pulled the blade out of its sheath, swinging it back and cutting the rope that was wrapped around the poor man's foot.**

**Yato landed on the ground as the horse galloped away, the man panting loudly.**

"**I-I'm impressed, boy! You saved my life. Thanks!" He grinned, holding the back of his head.**

**Yato, sheathing the shortsword, grinned back, with Sakura showing to be in the space inside of the sword, also smiling.**

"A round of applause for baby Yatty's first heroic deed!" Kofuku said as she began clapping loudly.

The others, excluding Bishamon and the God-in-question himself, joined in on the clapping, applauding the younger, on-screen Yato.

"Baby…?" Yato grumbled under his breath, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

**Father's voice was heard "Yaboku." The scene changed to the inside of their house, the ear trophies hanging from the ceiling.**

**Yato was laying on a straw bed, looking away as Hiiro leaned over him, shaking his shoulder. "Come on. Let's go play," She urged.**

"**What? Another day with no gifts for father, hm?" Father hummed as he threw wood logs into a lit fireplace.**

**Yato sat up, looking at him with worry on his face. Grabbing Hiiro's hand, he stood up and quickly left the house, calling weakly behind him, "We're… going out to play…"**

**Father watched them leave, the fire crackling behind him.**

"It seems that he's realized that Yato doesn't want to kill anymore…" Bishamon mumbled to Kazuma.

The bespectacled regalia nodded solemnly. "I can only imagine what he's planning to do to punish Yato for straying away from his wish."

**The scene switched to a house with a crumbling roof, crows squawking as they flew away, frightened by a man screaming.**

**The man, skeletal and thin, cowered away from the blade as Yato pointed Hiiro towards him.**

"_**Come on, Yaboku, are you taking this seriously? If you keep dawdling, they're all going to get away. Honestly...**_" **Inside the sword, Hiiro scoffed, sending deadly water droplets from her blade flying towards the other people who were fleeing away, hitting them with precision.**

**Yato leaned over the remaining man, hesitating, the tip of the blade just barely touching his chest.**

"**S...Spare me." The man choked out, staring up at the boy. His hands gripped the blade tightly, blood trickling from his palm. "Spare…"**

**Yato thrust the sword downwards, striking it into his chest. The man gurgled, grip weakening, "Sp…"**

**Yato handed Hiiro the man's bloodied ear, turning away from her, "Hiiro, you go on home without me. I'm gonna go wash the blood off…"**

**He was walking through the forest, head down. '**_**It's not enough, I let them all get away. I know I can do better than that. I want more. I want to tell me what a good boy I am.**_'

The audience all frowned at those thoughts.

"So really, all along, you just wanted to impress him and have him praise you in return…?" Yukine frowned, saddened. Sure, Yukine secretly wanted his master to praise him, too, but he couldn't imagine being that obsessed with praise like the on-screen God was. Yato praised him and bragged about him plenty now.

"Well, he was raised without proper parental love. His father probably only praised him when he killed people," Daikoku shook his head, angered by that man's neglectful actions.

'_**I don't want to disappoint father, but Sakura…**_'

"...I can't imagine wanting to have your father praise you but also make Sakura happy is going to go well in the future…" Bishamon frowned, leaning back in her chair and resting her chin on the knuckles of her closed fist, her elbow propped up on her knee, one leg folded over the other. She was regarding the despairing, on-screen Yato with a look of pity.

**The sounds of clapping shook Yato out of his reverie.**

**A woman and her child were standing in front of a shrine, palms pressed together in prayer. Flowers were placed inside of the shrine.**

**After the woman and child left, Yato wandered over to the shrine, small drops of blood were splattered on his face and kimono.**

"**Yaboku. What are you doing? Why don't you ever play with me anymore?" Hiiro's voice filtered out of the house, which was covered by a straw door.**

**Yato, who was sitting on the ground, braiding straw that was attached to his big toes, mumbled distractedly, "Umm… Sorry, Hiiro. Some other time. I have to hurry and make these show shoes, so I can help people who are in trouble."**

"Aww, look at that character development!" Hiyori grinned, quietly clapping her fingertips together in mock applause.

"**Well, then help me," Hiiro said, stepping out of the door, moving the straw out of the way.**

**Yato turned, eyes widening. "Hiiro?!"**

**Limping out of the house, Hiiro was gripping her arm, her scraped skin stained purple and blue by blight. **

**Yato hurried over to her, "What happened to you?!"**

"**Father punished me. He said I'm a bad girl…"**

**Yato looked at her in panic, mouth hanging open, "Well, uh, let's go to the spring!"**

**The scene changed to a spring, with water rushing down rocks like tiny waterfalls.**

"**...That's cold."**

"**Sorry. Just a little longer…"**

**The two children were huddled in the middle of the spring, snow falling around them. Yato was cleansing the blight off of Hiiro. The former turned when a voice spoke up from the shore, "Yato-sama?"**

**Sakura, exhaling clouds of fog, look down towards them. Her focus, though, was on Hiiro, who was standing bare-naked in the water with her dark gaze on the fellow shinki, the name on her chest in view.**

"**S-Sakura…?!" Yato exclaimed in surprise, "Th...This is, umm…" **

**The scene changed to a small hut, "Come here, next to the fire!" Sakura was rubbing a cloth on a clothed Hiiro's hair, "So your name is Hiiro-chan. How long have you been serving Yato-sama?"**

**Stuttering at Hiiro's confused "Yato…?" The boy, kneeling on the other side of the fire with his face flushed red, quickly tried to redirect the conversation, "Y-You don't have to talk about me!"**

**Hiiro looked up as Sakura continued rubbing the towel on her hair. The woman tutted, "But you never tell me anything about yourself, Yato-sama. What do you and Yato-sama usually do together, Hiiro-chan?"**

"**Sakura!" Yato yelled out in alarm.**

**Noticing another name on Hiiro's shoulder blade, "Oh. There's a name here, too…?"**

**Hiiro pulled her kimono over the name, voice blank, "If we're talking about each other, aren't you interested in **_**yourself**_**?" Hiiro turned to face the other regalia, who looked down at her with wide eyes. "Where you were born. What you did. How you died."**

"Shit… What is Nora doing?" Bishamon hissed under her breath, glaring at the screen. Her hands clenched into tight fists.

**Yato's heart thumped.**

**Sakura rested her hand against her chin in contemplation, "Hmm… Now that you mention it, I've never thought about it before."**

'_**Wait,**_' **Yato's eyes widened.**

"**How **_**did **_**I die?" Sakura asked, freezing and staring at the ground in quiet horror.**

**Hiiro piped in, much to Yato's shock and chagrin, "Your master knows all about it."**

**The God was to try to dissolute the fact, "I-I do not!" He stood up, yelling.**

"**Liar," Hiiro spat out, "You saw something, didn't you? When you named Sakura. Those… were Sakura's memories."**

"**Th-they were…?" Yato remembered the bob-haired girl in the sakura blossom kimono, a large hand with outstretched fingers behind her, reaching towards her. "So **_**that's**_ **what that was!" He exclaimed in realization."**

**Hiiro turned to her master, "You know Sakura's real name, don't you? Go on, tell her."**

"No, Yatty! Don't do it!" Kofuku wailed, smacking the future Yato's shoulder in panic.

Bishamon was sitting tensely in her seat, grinding her teeth together, mumbling about idiotic, childish, naive Gods.

The regalia were frowning, glancing among the three very tense Gods in well-placed confusion and concern.

"Why can't they know their real names…?" Hiyori muttered to herself, feeling lost.

'_**No!**_' **Yato thought, eyes wide. "I can't!" He yelled out loud.**

"**Why not?" Hiiro asked, expressionless. Behind her, Sakura was standing up.**

"**I-I don't know. I just can't!" Yato snapped, unable to explain why out loud with words. '**_**It would violate the Gods' secret.**_"

**Suddenly, Sakura was in front of Yato, gripping his hands with a terrified, stricken expression. Hiiro watched them from her place on the ground with a knowing, satisfied grin. "Please, I want to know!" Sakura begged, eyes cold and needy.**

**Yato flinched away, shaking his head, "B-But!"**

"**Father said it would be alright," Hiiro assured, causing Yato to turn to her, distressed.**

Bishamon slammed a fist onto the arm of her chair, "Dammit! It's not alright!"

"**He said it's for her own good."**

**Yato held her gaze, sweating. In front of him, Sakura continued begging, "Please, Yato-sama!"**

'_**No.'**_ **Looking at Sakura's eyes, Yato stuttered out, conflicting with his inner thoughts and instincts, "Your real… real name is…" '**_**Don't say it.**_'

**Father was shown sitting in front of a fire, holding a wooden, carved mask with an eye symbol painted on it. He was smirking slightly.**

"**...Ta…" Yato choked out, "Tamanone…"**

Yato gritted his teeth, sliding down in his seat, hair covering his eyes.

"You _didn't_." Bishamon breathed out, staring between the on-screen God and the future, current God.

Kofuku covered her eyes with her hands, letting out a small "eep".

**A beautiful woman with long hair was shown, wearing a pretty, fancy kimono with a sakura blossom pattern. She was holding a fan delicately to her mouth, eyes closed.**

**Yato's eyes were clenched shut, Sakura's hands still gripping his. Slowly and unsurely, he opened his eyes, one at a time. What he saw in front of him made them widen considerably in fear.**

"**Ta...manone…?" The shinki choked out. Thick, red vein-like lines spread from her eyes. The right one had become unnaturally wide, dripping with tears. Her grip on her master's hand had grown painfully tight.**

**Yato screamed.**

"Wh...what happened?!" Yukine shouted, startled.

Kazuma adjusted his glasses, pushing them further up his nose. "Is that what will happen if you find out your true name…?" He asked Yato, then turned to Bishamon when he got no answer from the lesser God.

"Gods dare not talk about it in fear of their shinki succumbing to curiosity and want. Whatever you do, do _not_ grow desperate for knowledge of your past. It will only do harm and no good," She growled, looking away from her regalia.

"Is that… a Gods' greatest secret…?" Hiyori asked, placing her hand on Yato's knee in an attempt at comforting him.

**The scene shifted suddenly, a small, oscillating fan crashing to the ground. Hiyori had flung herself away from a peacefully sleeping, present-time Yato, panting.**

'_**The Gods' secret… Is their shinki's true name.**_' **Hiyori cast her gaze away from Yato's face, looking down, '**_**But if that secret is revealed… Their soul… can never be saved again…**_'

**The blurry, staticky shadows of Yato and Sakura were shown, but Sakura was a large, hulking figure. She was no longer the young, pretty-looking woman, but a Ayakashi, still holding tight onto her scared master.**

The screen went black.

"Is… Is that what really happens when we find out what our real name is?" Yukine glanced towards his God, fearful.

Yato, spurred by the fear passed on from his regalia to him, clenching tight at his chest, sat up and slapped his hands down on Yukine's shoulders, "I swear to you, Yukine. I won't let that happen to you.

"Yato, what happened afterwards…?" Daikoku dared to ask, tentative.

"Daikoku! Don't ask personal questions like that!" Kofuku slapped his thigh repeatedly, panicking.

Yato waved it off, turning towards the shinki, becoming more subdued, "It's fine, it's fine. She turned into an ayakashi and blighted me, so I had to use Hiiro to slay her."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Yato. Sakura seemed like a kind, smart woman who really had an affect on you," Kazuma sympathized.

"I don't think I'll be able to forget her, even after all these years, but!" He flashed a proud, wide grin, putting an arm around his regalia's shoulders. "I've got this cute little kid to distract me from my traumatizing past with his bratty, rebellious teenage attitudes!"

Yukine stuttered and shoved him away, bristling, "Shut up, idiot God!"

Hiyori giggled as Kofuku leaped into the fray, teasingly patting the blond boy's head. Daikoku tugged her away just as the television screen began tipping over from the chaos the God of poverty's misfortune presence spread.

"I never knew he had to slay a shinki that had turned into an ayakashi…" Bishamon commented from the sidelines, watching as Yato laughed heartily, ruffling the hair of an agitated Yukine.

"There's a lot that we don't know in regards to Yato's past," Kazuma stated, pushing his glasses up, "But with this, we know a little more about him. Hopefully we'll be able to learn and understand more in the future."

Bishamon scoffed, "I don't care about that stupid lesser God, this was just a good way to learn more about the Sorceror."

Kazuma side-eyed her, a small, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Maybe so."


End file.
